Abrami named 2016 Engineer of the Year

Abrami was selected as Engineer of the Year by the UB Engineering Alumni Association in recognition of his dedicated service to the school, where he chairs the Industrial and Systems Engineering’s Department Advisory Board (DAB), and serves as a member of the school’s Dean’s Advisory Council. 

Abrami is a partner and consultant at Applied Management Systems (AMS), a Massachusetts-based health care operations consulting firm. He is also a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, where he serves as vice chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.

During his tenure at AMS, Abrami has worked with over 420 hospital clients in 35 states and the District of Columbia.  He has published many papers, wrote a book, “Bringing Computers to the Hospital Bedside,” and rose to Fellow and Life member of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

In 2010, Abrami was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and has since been re-elected twice. He says his math skills have helped produce very accurate revenue estimates for the state over the past five years and, more importantly, balanced budgets. He has helped numerous citizens in his community navigate state government and has sponsored many pieces of legislation. 

Abrami grew up on Long Island, NY but has called New Hampshire home for the past 33 years.

The award was presented by Kurt Bessel (MS ME '08), President of the UB Engineering Alumni Association.

Following the presentation of the award, students participated in the Order of the Engineering ceremony. Christine Human, Associate Dean, Accreditation and Student Affairs, presented a brief history of the events leading up to the formation of the Order. A bridge collapse and resulting casualties in Quebec in the early 1900’s, caused primarily by design errors and inadequate supervision of the construction, led to a Canadian “Calling of the Engineer” or “Iron Ring” ceremony in 1925. This ceremony became the basis for what is today the Order of the Engineer in the United States.

William F. Klepser, Jr., P.E., Vice President of the Western New York Section of the NYS Society of Professional Engineers, then told the audience about the significance of the Order and the Ring.

The Order of the Engineer is devoted to upholding the standards and dignity of the engineering profession. Kurt Bessel led the group in a formal reading of the Obligation which reminds students of their responsibility to the health, welfare and safety of the public and to make the best use of the earth’s resources. The ceremony concluded with the students placing a stainless steel ring on the little finger of their working hand.

UB became a Link for the Order of the Engineer in 2006. A detailed history of the order can be found here.

A reception for all participants followed the ceremony.

See photos from the Order of the Engineer ceremony here.